This invention relates to conveyor devices for transporting biological material in containers to clinical test apparatus and more particularly to a conveyor system with a main transport lane for all containers to be tested and individual sidebar lanes associated with different clinical test apparatus, and traffic control gates at each sidebar lane for diverting separate groups of containers to their corresponding clinical test apparatus. The invention further relates to a system for supporting utility installations for the conveyor and its associated traffic control gates.
The term xe2x80x9cclinical testingxe2x80x9d is intended to refer to hematological tests, tests relating to immunoassay, toxicology, urinalysis and any other specific category of testing performed on biological or body material such as blood, serum, and urine for example. The clinical testing of blood, serum, urine or other body fluid provides invaluable information relative to the health status of an individual and clinical test results are commonly used for diagnostic evaluation, surgical decision making and the recognition of when a change or changes have occurred in a patient""s health status.
Clinical testing often involves esoteric and costly procedures that must produce quality information with a high degree of accuracy. As new clinical tests are conceived and conventional clinical tests are improved, the expanding pool of information that is obtainable from various clinical tests must be weighed against the cost of obtaining such information. By reducing the cost of clinical tests, such tests can have the widest possible availability to those individuals who would benefit most from the tests.
One known way of reducing the costs for clinical testing is to perform such tests automatically and as quickly as possible. Thus diverse clinical test apparatus have been developed which operate independently of each other to perform different types of specialized tests with a minimal amount of personnel. The tests are usually performed on fluid samples that are contained in sample tubes, although other containment formats are also used, especially when the test material is not in fluid form.
However separate personnel and supervision teams are generally required to oversee each individual clinical test apparatus and separate work areas are often required for each specific category of clinical test apparatus. Thus, a laboratory which is engaged in diverse clinical testing procedures would require a relatively large facility space to accommodate the separate clinical test apparatus.
In a further attempt to reduce operating costs for clinical testing a common transport system has been developed to automatically deliver test material containers such as sample tubes to a variety of otherwise unrelated and independent clinical test apparatus. Such transport system includes a conveyor adapted to run along a predetermined travel path with different, unrelated clinical test apparatus located along the travel path of the conveyor. Each of the clinical test apparatus is adapted to operate on a common sample tube that is transported by the conveyor system.
The known conveyor systems for delivering sample tubes to different clinical apparatus are usually custom built for the particular needs of a test laboratory. In many instances the construction of conveyor systems for clinical test apparatus require dedicated installations of electrical power supply, plumbing service, vacuum and pressure service. Thus the known conveyor systems usually have the character of custom design, permanency and inflexibility once they are installed.
It is thus desirable to provide a conveyor system for clinical testing of biological materials in containers, which conveyor system can be constructed with modular stations for each clinical test apparatus, with simplified installations for plumbing, electricity, vacuum and pressure service that do not require ground, wall or ceiling installation.
Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a novel conveyor system for clinical test apparatus, a novel conveyor system that has a main transport lane and one or more auxiliary lanes corresponding to each clinical apparatus, a novel conveyor system for clinical test apparatus wherein auxiliary transport lanes are provided alongside main transport lanes for side by side movement of sample tubes on a main transport lane and on an auxiliary transport lane, a novel conveyor system for clinical test apparatus including a main transport conveyor and a plurality of separately run auxiliary conveyors, and wherein each auxiliary conveyor is associated with a separate clinical test apparatus, a novel conveyor system wherein each auxiliary conveyor is provided with traffic control gates including a diverter gate and an interface gate wherein the diverter gate selectively diverts sample tubes from the main transport conveyor to the auxiliary conveyor and the interface gate controls return of the diverted sample tubes to the main transport conveyor, a novel conveyor system for clinical test apparatus that also carries its own utility service lines such as electrical, plumbing, pressure and vacuum lines, a novel system for supporting the utility service lines, a novel conveyor system for clinical test apparatus wherein the main transport conveyor is separately driven by one motor while the auxiliary transport conveyors are each driven by separate motors, and novel gates for directing sample tubes to selected clinical apparatus for testing or other functional purpose.
Other objects and features of the invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
In accordance with the present invention, the conveyor system for clinical test apparatus includes a main transport conveyor that defines a closed circuit travel path. The closed circuit travel path permits objects that remain on the conveyor to repeat the travel path when the conveyor moves in one direction. The main transport conveyor has straight line paths and curved paths. The conveyor system also includes a plurality of auxiliary conveyors that define a straight line travel path. The auxiliary conveyors, which are arranged in series with one another are located alongside the straight line travel paths of the main transport conveyor. Each auxiliary conveyor transports an object from one end of the auxiliary conveyor to the other end without retracing any point of travel when the auxiliary conveyor is moving in one direction, which is normally the same direction as the main transport conveyor.
Each of the auxiliary conveyors are controlled by separate motors or drive means that are preferably independent of the motor or drive means for the main transport conveyor. In this manner the auxiliary conveyors can be arranged as modules alongside the main transport conveyor.
Separation means are provided between the main transport conveyor and the auxiliary conveyor except at predetermined intersections between the main transport conveyor and the auxiliary conveyor. Such intersections are defined by gate controlled crossover openings that permit diversion of sample tubes from the main transport conveyor to the auxiliary conveyor and vice versa.
One of the gate openings is controlled by a divert gate device which has actuatable diversion means for diverting movement of objects on the main transport conveyor to the auxiliary conveyor. The diversion means has one position that blocks off the flow of traffic on the main transport conveyor and at the same time directs such traffic to the auxiliary conveyor. The diversion means has another position that does not interfere with traffic on the main transport conveyor and thus permits such traffic to bypass the auxiliary conveyor.
Another crossover opening that provides a direct flow path from the auxiliary conveyor to the transport conveyor is controlled by an interface gate device that is located upstream of the crossover opening. The interface gate device as well as the divert gate device cooperate with label readers for the sample tubes. The sample tubes are thus rotated at each gate device to enable the label reader to obtain a reading of the sample tube label.
A clinical test apparatus or other functional device which operates on the sample tubes is associated with each auxiliary conveyor. Thus one auxiliary conveyor can be associated with a load and unload station for the sample tubes. Other auxiliary conveyors are respectively associated with different clinical test apparatus that perform different categories of tests on sample tubes.
If a sample tube is to be tested by a specific clinical test apparatus the system programming and the information on the individual sample tube label will cause activation of the gates in a manner which will direct the sample tube to the intended clinical test apparatus while enabling sample tubes that are not intended to be tested by a clinical test apparatus to bypass the auxiliary conveyor associated with that clinical test apparatus. Thus the sample tubes will go only to a clinical test apparatus that is to perform a required test on the sample tube.
Sample tubes are unloaded from pucks when they are to be tested by a clinical test apparatus. The empty puck is reloaded with another sample tube that is exiting from the test apparatus. Thus the puck remains on the conveyor during unloading and reloading of sample tubes. The unloading and reloading of the pucks is accomplished by a robotic device that forms no part of the present invention.
Although the main transport conveyor and the auxiliary transport conveyors are separately driven and each clinical test apparatus operates independently of the other clinical test apparatus, the movement of all sample tubes and the operation of all the gates in the conveyor system is governed by a single process control means such as a computer.
Columns which support the conveyor system also support utility service for the conveyor system such as electrical lines, plumbing lines, air pressure lines and vacuum lines. The installation of such utility lines above ground and on the conveyor columns facilitates servicing and construction of the conveyor system.
The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the claims.